Respite
by LuciadeLioncourt
Summary: Kagome is feeling unfulfilled in her role with the group. What will happen when a certain wolf demon offers a change of scenery?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Kagome woke to a stabbing pain in her head. Blinking in confusion in the predawn light, she looked at the supine forms of her companions arranged around the campfire, still peacefully asleep under their blankets. Another searing pain, this time seeming to come from behind her eyes, made her wince.

'What the…?," she thought, before the memories of the night before came flooding back: the battle with the moth demons, being picked up by a demon and flown to a dizzying height, InuYasha coming to her rescue…

'Well,' she thought, 'maybe rescue is a bit strong of a word. He did save me from being devoured by the demon but he could have stayed around to catch me after hacking the demon's head off.' InuYasha had slain the demon and let her fall, intent on the battle and no doubt assuming one of their friends would take on the easier task of catching her on the way down. Kirara had come to her aid, fortunately, but Kagome had still taken quite a jolt.

'I guess InuYasha doesn't realize it's not easy on us humans to fall 50 feet and slam down onto a giant cat's back. Not that it could be any easier on Kirara,' Kagome mused.

'I wish….but that is stupid; InuYasha saved me, that's the important thing! I shouldn't be criticizing him for focusing on the battle – if he wasn't focused, he or one of our friends could get seriously hurt. I can't complain about a little bump on the head!' Feeling guilty now for her ungrateful thoughts, Kagome didn't notice her half demon approaching.

"Yo, Kagome!," InuYasha said, "Good thing you are already up – we've wasted enough time here. Let's get moving!"

Kagome looked up at him, startled. "Sure thing, InuYasha," she chirped, her guilt over her traitorous thoughts making her eager to please him.

InuYasha frowned down at her curiously. "So, you're not going to whine about it being too early?," he pressed, apparently surprised at her unexpected agreeableness but lacking the sense to simply take his good fortune.

"No," said Kagome, still using her chipper tone, "I think you are right; we should get a move on if we want to find Naraku!"

InuYasha was still looking at her dubiously, so she smiled a big smile, trying to look like she wasn't tired, in pain, feeling like an ungrateful burden to the group, or any of those things. Nope, she was a Kagome, kind friend, useful jewel shard detector, consummate trouper, ready to go.

InuYasha looked closely at her, still suspicious and searching her face for clues – he really wasn't as oblivious as he sometimes seemed, she mused –but she held onto her façade admirably and, after a few moments' scrutiny, InuYasha seemed satisfied that all was normal. He rolled his eyes, muttered something that sounded like "Unpredictable wench…" and then walked past her to wake the monk, slayer and fox demon kit, all of whom had slept through the entire exchange.

'Yes,' thought Kagome, watching him walk away 'everything is totally fine.' It was a pity that she didn't believe it.


	2. Chapter 2

After the slayer and monk were roused and the camp packed up, the group set out in the still early morning light. As at the moment they were more or less aimlessly wandering, with no scent of Naraku nor story of a jewel shard to check out, they moved at a leisurely pace, with InuYasha leading, Kagome trailing diligently behind with Shippo on her shoulder and Sango and Miroku bringing up the rear, Kirara untransformed and walking.

Kagome watched InuYasha as he walked ahead of her, her thoughts jumbled, as seemed to be the norm these days. 'What do I feel for him?' she asked herself for the millionth time. 'Are we just friends? I think I am more to him than that… he doesn't get mad at Miroku for fondling Sango, and he'd burst a blood vessel if Koga did that to me! So if Sango is his friend, what does that make me?'

Kagome allowed herself a small grin as she thought of the probable reaction of InuYasha to seeing her getting groped by the wolf demon. 'Of course,' Kagome told herself, 'there is no way Koga would ever do that. He acts over-confident but he's never actually done anything that could be considered dishonorable towards me… aside from kidnapping me, that is!'

As she reflected on things, though, Kagome was willing to let even that be bygones. After all, this was the Feudal Era – a much rougher time – and humans and demons tended to not get along. Hadn't InuYasha himself seemed quite willing to rip her apart upon their first encounter? Shippo had met them attempting to steal their shards of the jewel and even Miroku had taken a stab at snatching the jewel -and her along with it!

'No,' Kagome thought, 'for a wolf demon from the Feudal Era, Koga's actions towards me were entirely excusable, perhaps even bordering on unusually kind.' She stopped there, surprised that she had thought of being kidnapped as kind, but there it was. Koga had only taken her because his pack members were being killed and he hadn't hurt her or allowed harm to come to her while she was his captive; he had even seen to it that she was fed and not punished her for attempting to escape or for saving Shippo. 'Quite the opposite, actually,' she thought, flushing as she remembered his reaction to her saving her friend.

It had been alarming, to say the least, having a wolf demon, and not just any wolf demon, but the leader of the tribe, declare his intention of making her his 'mate,' whatever he had meant by that. Not that she didn't have some idea as to what that might entail – she blushed further – but was it like marriage, with a ceremony and vows to make him her mate, or would he just…

"Yo Kagome!" InuYasha's annoyed voice broke through her thoughts and she jumped before looking up at him, feeling inexplicably as if he had caught her doing something she shouldn't. "Ka-gom-eee," InuYasha ground out again, and she realized that she had failed to respond beyond staring dumbly at him, like a deer caught in the headlights of a car.

'Get it together, girl!' she scolded herself. 'He can't read minds and you weren't doing anything wrong anyway. You were just thinking about a friend. Nothing wrong with that.'

Kagome smiled. It was true – Koga was a friend, a friend who had saved her life several times since their first meeting and always seemed to have something nice to say. 'He is maybe a bit rough around the edges, but heck, they could carve that on InuYasha's tombstone,' she thought, grinning. 'He is one of my friends here, like Sango and Miroku, and there is nothing wrong with thinking of him from time to time.'

"Ummm…..yes, InuYasha?," she asked, looking up into amber hued eyes, currently narrowed.

"I said, do you sense anything around here? If you would pay attention instead of walking around thinking about your school or whatever then maybe we could actually find some shards!" InuYasha snapped in annoyance.

"Oh, right…yeah. I mean, no. Nope, no shards. Sorry." Kagome tripped over her words, trying to hide her distraction. The fact that InuYasha assumed she had been thinking of her time relieved her and made her feel guilty again at once. It seemed like she was experiencing a lot of the latter emotion lately, she reflected, and yet she hadn't done anything.

"InuYasha," Miroku interjected from behind them, "there is no reason to snap at Kagome – if there had been a shard she would have sensed it. Let's just keep going and we are bound to find something, or else something will find us."

"Keh." InuYasha scoffed, unwilling to admit the monk was right and wishing for a target for his frustration. Kagome had been in an odd mood all day, unusually quiet, and it, combined with their current lack of purpose, was putting him on edge. It seemed, though, that she wouldn't respond to his griping with either her sweet reassurances that they'd find the shards soon enough or her annoyed 'Sit!' for blaming her for their lack of success.

He disliked these quiet, pensive spells Kagome had, even more than he disliked the 'Sit!' charm – after all, he was a demon and it took a lot more than that to actually hurt him. He didn't want to push her far enough for her to decide to go home, though, so instead of saying more he turned from his little pack and began again leading them through the countryside, wishing there was no well for Kagome to leave through and no charmed necklace around his neck. Then he could do things his way.


	3. Ch 3, Enter Kouga!

(A/N: Thanks so much to my two reviewers, Someones Desire and kogua's older woman! This is my first fanfic ever and your kind words are greatly appreciated! )

Ch. 3, Enter Kouga!

Kagome looked up from the packed earth of the road, staring into the horizon. It was definitely there, although she could just barely feel it - a slight tingling sensation on the edges of her consciousness.

"I sense a jewel shard up ahead," she announced to group. Immediately, Sango, Miroku, Shippo and InuYasha crowded around her, all talking at once.

"Which way? Where?," shouted InuYasha, looking around wildly as if he could force himself to see the shards of the jewel as well.

"Do you sense Naroku?," Miroku asked InuYasha, unconsciously fingering the beads covering his cursed hand.

"Kirara!," Sango called the demon to her, readying herself for battle.

"I don't sense anything," Shippo said nervously, leaping into Kagome's arms and looking towards the horizon with the others.

"It's still kind of far away, but it feels like it is coming fast in this direction," Kagome explained, squeezing the little kitsune reassuringly while trying to sense the aura of what she assumed to be an approaching demon.

InuYasha sniffed the air and then abruptly turned from the group and started running down the path. "Stay here Kagome!," InuYasha ordered, "I'll go ahead and see what it is."

"InuYasha! You shouldn't go alone!," exclaimed Kagome, worried about the unknown threat; InuYasha was the strongest demon she'd ever seen, except maybe Sesshoumaru, but demons with shards always posed a special challenge to the inu. Especially if they happened to be higher-level demons with shards. 'Demons like Kouga,' she thought, thinking of the awful, bloody battle at the castle when Kouga believed InuYasha had murdered his comrades. 'Kouga can be pretty fearsome when he wants,' she thought, shivering at the memory. 'Good thing he is on our side now. Hey, wait, why am I thinking about HIM again, anyway?', she shook her head, perplexed at how often her thoughts were turning towards the wolf prince.

Unbeknownst to Kagome, InuYasha's thoughts were also on the wolf youkai. The wind had picked up, blowing a familiar, unwelcome scent to his sensitive nose. "No, I will go alone, I'm pretty sure what this is," he called back to her, already some distance down the trail.

"But InuYasha-", started Kagome.

"Too late," Sango said, "Look!" Far up the trail but just visible to human eyes, a whirlwind was approaching.

"Isn't that Koga's whirlwind?," asked Miroku. Kagome's eyes widened at the name that'd been on her mind being said aloud. She looked at the oncoming whirlwind, realizing the monk was right, and then looked at InuYasha, wondering how the half demon would react to the revelation.

InuYasha had stopped in the middle of the trail, about 30 feet ahead of them, and was standing waiting for the oncoming wolf, his hand on the hilt of his sword and his posture rigid. 'He looks tense but not surprised,' she thought. 'He must have smelled Kouga's scent and wanted to go ahead to prevent the demon from meeting up with our group. Well, from meeting up with me.' Kagome rolled her eyes behind InuYasha's back. The inu's possessiveness had been flattering, at first, but after a time it had become irritating, especially considering the double standard - InuYasha could see Kikyo as much as he wanted, but she couldn't be friends with a male demon? – AND the fact that InuYasha seemed not to want her for himself, he just didn't want anyone else to have her!

'Have me? Where did that thought come from?,' Kagome asked herself. 'Didn't I just say Koga was only a friend?' Kagome's thoughts were cut short by the sudden gust of wind enveloping her and blowing her hair, shirt and skirt back; in the seconds since she had last looked at the approaching whirlwind it had traveled down the remaining stretch of road, over a very agitated hanyou, and landed right in front of her.

The wind died down as quickly as it had started, and Kagome found herself staring up into crystal blue eyes, her hands clutched in the large, clawed hands of a suddenly very close wolf demon. Heat seemed to be radiating off his body from his earlier exertion and, standing next to him in the crisp air, she felt his intense heat engulfing her, caressing her skin, sinking into her clothes, instantly warming her hands. 'How did I never notice all this heat before?' she thought dazedly, her gaze still caught in his eyes.

His lips drew back into a half smirk, revealing one white, pointed fang, and from his throat that voice she knew so well came purring, "Yo, Kagome. Did you miss me?"


	4. Chapter 4

(A/N: Thanks a lot to my Ch. 3 reviewers, kouga's older woman, Someones Desire and NeonTalisman, and to the nice people who favorited/are following my story. I hope you all like this next installment!)

Ch. 4

"Ummm….," Kagome stammered, blushing a brilliant red.

"Kagome, are you OK?" Kagome felt the intense blue eyes studying her face, saw the cocky grin fade into a look of seriousness as this fierce, proud demon looked her over, checking for any signs that "his woman" was unwell. 'His woman,' she thought, her heart beating a bit quicker as she found that she couldn't summon up any of her previous annoyance at having been thus claimed.

"I'm fine, Koga-kun," she smiled up hesitantly. "It is just, I am a bit warm, that's all." 'Stupid, stupid, stupid!,' Kagome mentally berated herself. 'It is a cool fall day! It isn't hot! Now everyone is going to know you're having all these weird thoughts and-'

"Yo, Muttface! You better start taking better care of my woman!" Koga barked mockingly over Kagome's shoulder to InuYasha, who appeared to be momentarily frozen in place, glowering at the wolf. Koga's threat snapped the half demon into action, and the inu snarled, unsheathing his sword and running at the wolf demon.

"Kagome's fine, I'd worry about yourself, wolf!" The wolf demon easily jumped out of the way of the sword, carrying Kagome with him. Setting Kagome down, he turned towards InuYasha, teeth bared.

"Hey, mutt, I'll fight you anytime, anyplace, but watch where you are swinging that thing around Kagome!" he barked, his previous drawl replaced by what sounded like real rage.

"Like I'd hurt Kagome! I am the one who protects her, so why don't you just turn around and go back to your cave, wimpy wolf?" InuYasha shouted indignantly.

'Here we go again. Oh, brother.' Kagome thought, watching as the two males circled each other, enchanging insults and threats and growls. 'Well, we all know how this'll go…they'll spar for a while, say rude things, and eventually InuYasha will manage to chase Koga away. Unless…' Kagome stopped, a new thought occurring to her.

Maybe her problem was that she kept letting InuYasha control these meetings – sure, sometimes she'd 'Sit!' him if he got too carried away, but mostly she stood back and let InuYasha handle Koga for her. 'Why do I do that?' she wondered. She had never been the type to let other people speak for her or make her decisions. 'I guess… it is easier. InuYasha always gets so mad when I intervene for Koga, it is better not to unless it is really important.' But she knew that wasn't quite right. Kagome had also never been the sort of girl to just keep the peace and kowtow to the status quo.

No, if Kagome was honest with herself, the real reason she allowed InuYasha to take control of these situations was that she didn't know what to do. She had never had even a boyfriend before, and this wolf demon prince, arriving unexpectedly and calling her "his woman" and clasping her hands and looking at her like that, the whole situation was worlds away from her comfort level. Even without the declarations of love, Koga himself was…intimidating. He was a leader, a prince warrior, a high-level demon used to being in control. Kagome imagined that not many beings, demon or otherwise, managed to be at ease around Koga; even his tribe seemed to have some fear of him mixed with their loyalty and respect.

'Combining the two factors of who Koga is and the fact that he is the first guy, ever, to be so openly, aggressively interested in me, I guess it is no wonder that I keep panicking and taking the path of least resistance whenever he shows up.' Kagome mused. 'But, I have to change that. I have to start standing up for myself! How does it look, letting InuYasha dictate who I can talk to? Who does he think he is?!'

Emboldened by her indignation, Kagome marched over to where the two males were still fighting, snapped 'Sit!' and, as InuYasha slammed into the ground with a muffled curse, turned to the wolf demon, looked him in the eye, smiled and said "It is nice to see you again, Koga-kun. Did you want to talk to me?"

In an instant, the wolf demon was once again in front of her, his heat pulsing against her, his strong, clawed hands grasping hers gently but firmly. He was looking down at her, an intense look in his eyes different from before. 'Almost…hungry' Kagome thought, shivering slightly but feeling no desire to move backwards into safety, away from this predatory hotness.

From behind her, she heard Sango whisper to Miroku, "Now Koga will never want to leave!" A corner of Koga's mouth twitched up in a fanged smirk, and Kagome realized that of course the wolf demon had also heard. She blushed with new embarrassment and pulled her hands from Koga's, looking down, suddenly feeling that she must appear wanton to those present with feudal era perceptions of proper womanly behavior: everyone knew Koga wanted her, and here she was looking like she was encouraging it! And right in front of InuYasha!

Suddenly a clawed finger reached under her chin, guiding her gaze up to meet those hungry eyes, not allowing her to hide. "Kagome," Koga said, rolling her name slowly off his tongue, his voice deep. He leaned closer to her, his gaze trapping and holding her as if she were a cornered rabbit, frozen, waiting for the kill.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, mangy wolf?" InuYasha's enraged shout broke through Kagome's trance and she jerked backwards from Koga just as the hanyou grabbed the wolf demon's arm from behind and roughly pulled him away from her.

Koga appeared momentarily stunned, gaping at Kagome as she pulled away, and then looking at her with an inscrutable expression on his face. He recovered quickly, spinning around and delivering a sound kick to InuYasha's head to free himself from the inu's grasp. "I was saying hi to MY woman, muttface," he said, his usual, arrogant drawl back in place. "But now I've got things to do, so I'll be on my way. Just be sure you take good care of Kagome and keep your paws off her."

Turning to Kagome, the wolf demon flashed a grin and said, "I'll be back soon for you Kagome. Don't you worry!' Then he started running back in the direction from which he had arrived. Within seconds he was a whirlwind; after a few more seconds, he was gone.

"What did he mean, he'll be back for you?" Sango asked Kagome, frowning. Kagome had been wondering the same thing. She gulped. Being an assertive, independent woman was all well and good, she reflected, but maybe this time she had bit off a bit more than she could chew. Just how much had Koga read into that one little, impulsive action?


	5. Chapter 5

(A/N: Sorry it has been awhile with no update! I hope you all like this chapter – I am trying something a bit different and switching perspectives. Special thanks to Chapter 4 reviewers – kouga's older woman, Neon Talisman, supermangageek23, Kouga's1fan and the "Guest" reviewer. Enjoy!)

Ch. 5

Koga ran back towards his den, the incredible speed of his legs unable to match the speed of his thoughts. Even though pride had never allowed him to admit it, even to himself, he had been able to tell that this human woman, this Kagome, didn't seem to want him. He wasn't blind. He could see the way she shrank away from his declarations of love and loyalty, his little touches, all the small things he did to try to lay claim to her. He knew why, too. It was that mutt, InuYasha. It was obvious, as much as it pained and baffled him, that Kagome preferred the company of the half-demon.

He had never given up on her, though. 'Maybe that's pride, too,' he thought ruefully. Pride kept him from admitting defeat in front of his comrades, in front of InuYasha, in front of Kagome herself. It was more than just alpha-type stubbornness, though– although he'd be the first to admit he possessed that quality in abundance. But no, Kagome was … special. He had kidnapped her intending to use her and, eventually, discard her in some way. He flinched now at the memory of how utterly meaningless she had been to him beyond her skill as a jewel shard finder. All humans had been almost entirely beneath his notice, little more than cows or deer or other prey.

All that had changed, though, within hours of capturing the girl. She first impressed him by standing up for her little friend, protecting a young demon as if it were a human child. As if it were her child. He had been amazed then, both by her bravery and her willingness to sacrifice herself for a demon that obviously couldn't return the favor. He hadn't spared much thought, in the beginning, as to what she was doing with the half-dog demon, but obviously the hanyou acted as her protector; he had supposed it benefited her to keep his friendship, but why did she spare a thought for a fox child? In his experience, humans reacted with either hatred or mindless terror towards demons and yet this woman seemed to actually love a weak kitsune cub.

He had left to go hunting for the pack still puzzling over the human female's inexplicable actions. He was gone longer than he had anticipated but, for some reason, he had felt the need to impress this girl by bringing back something more than fish or rabbits. Finally he had downed a mighty boar and, bringing it back to the den draped easily over a shoulder, came upon the scene that to this day remained etched in his mind. Kagome - delicate, little, fragile Kagome - looking so small and yet so defiant, perched on the ledge of a cliff with his pack mates closing in on her. In that instant, realizing she once again had risked her life to save the cub and seeing her standing there, facing his comrades head on and without regret, he had felt his demon blood stir.

He had told his pack mates then that he'd marry her so she could find jewel shards for the pack, but that wasn't the real reason; she didn't have to be his mate to do that. The truth was harder to explain. He had chosen her, in that instant. His instincts had told him to claim her, and he was not one to second-guess his instincts.

So, he had attempted to claim her then. Koga chuckled at the memory. He had never been slapped before and, honestly, it had done nothing then to dampen his desire. Any wolf demon, particularly an alpha like himself, enjoys a good chase. Conquering was part of mating. But, over time, he was forced to realize she was not merely playing hard to get or waiting to be sure of his sincerity or any of the other little games and tests he had heard of wolf demon females putting prospective mates through. She had seemed to genuinely want to be left alone with that half demon.

Koga felt his hackles rise thinking of all the times the arrogant mutt had smirked and taunted him over Kagome's lack of interest, pulled him away from her, called him a "wimpy wolf." If a wolf demon challenged another wolf demon in front of a female both were interested in, the males would fight until one gave up, once and for all. They might even fight until one died, if that was what it took. Humans were different, though. Kagome obviously had affection for the hanyou; as enraged as InuYasha sometimes made him, Koga had realized early that seriously attempting to hurt the half demon would not win him Kagome, even if he won the battle.

So, Koga had waited, kept from giving up on his chosen by his pride and his instincts and yet aware that it was unlikely his desires would ever be reciprocated. Things had continued pretty much the way he had expected, although he had a deep, secret fear each time he caught Kagome's scent on the wind that this would be the time he'd go to see her only to find she had mated that hanyou. The unbidden image of the half breed on top of his woman flashed through Koga's mind and his eyes tinged pink for a moment before he quickly dismissed the thought for the much more pleasurable thoughts of today's happenings.

Today things seemed to have changed. Kagome was…different. She had actually interrupted his fight with the mutt to talk to him! To say she had missed him! Not that she'd never interrupted their fights before, but normally she'd go straight to the hanyou, lecturing him, barely sparing a word for Koga. Even seeming to side against InuYasha, all her attention was on him. Today, though, she had ignored the hanyou to talk to him! That was very significant for a wolf demon like Koga – InuYasha was the leader of Kagome's little pack (as much as Koga loathed viewing the hanyou as such) and Kagome's choice to disregard him in favor of another, rival male sent a very clear message as far as Koga was concerned. 'She chose me, right in front of that mutt!' Koga thought triumphantly, smirking to himself.

He had been tempted to take her with him right then, but he could see her faltering as her friends reacted. She had been looking down at her feet, seeming not to know what to do next, and so he had lifted her chin to look her in the eyes. Then the most amazing thing of all had happened. She had held his gaze, her eyes wide with innocence and uncertainty, and his instincts had been screaming at him to lay claim on her in front of the others, and so he had started to lean towards her …

Then of course mutt face had ruined it. 'Maybe, though,' thought Koga, 'It is better this way.' After spending nearly a year waiting for a sign that Kagome could one day be persuaded to be his mate, he did not want to push too fast and scare her back to that half-demon. Still, though, she felt more like his woman than she ever had before, and Koga felt a flare of intense, demonic pride at the thought that his intended was finally realizing he would make the best protector, the best provider, the best lover. 'I will see you soon, my Kagome' he thought, his eyes glowing a faint red with anticipation.


	6. Chapter 6

Ch. 6

InuYasha was fuming. Bad enough they hadn't found a new shard in weeks and had no real prospects for finding another. Bad enough Kagome had been quiet and weird all day and he had to tiptoe around her so that she wouldn't just decide to go back to "skool" and abandon him. But then that damned wolf had to show up.

The half demon unconsciously started walking faster, causing the humans trailing him to have jog to keep up. He didn't notice, though; his thoughts were still on Koga. 'How dare that pathetic wolf show up here and start pawing all over Kagome,' he thought angrily. 'As if Kagome would ever go for a demon like that, anyway. He used to eat people, for fuck's sake. Now he is playing all nice cause he's found a human he wants for more than eating, but even Kagome should be able to see through his shit.'

InuYasha paused there, a bit of uncertainty slipping into his thoughts. Kagome was far too trusting in general and, in his opinion, too naïve to be around demons. 'Much less male demons looking for – ,' InuYasha stopped himself there, uncomfortable finishing his vulgar thoughts about Koga's true motives regarding Kagome.

'What the hell was she thinking, saying she was fucking glad to see him? Sitting me so I couldn't protect her from him? Willingly going to him, putting herself at his mercy like she really was his bitch?,' InuYasha snarled to himself, replaying the day's events in his mind. Of course, Kagome – innocent, naïve Kagome – hadn't realized what she was doing. 'She probably just wanted to stop the fight to keep that wimp from getting hurt,' InuYasha scoffed. Kagome couldn't sense the waves of lust coming off Koga the second time he took her hands. The half-demon shuddered in disgust, thinking of the predatory look the other demon had been giving Kagome.

'Kagome just doesn't get what demons are really like. She thinks she and Koga are "friends" and he's just this helpful guy who will keep bringing her flowers and fighting for her and never expect anything in return.' InuYasha shook his head in frustration and worry. It was a really bad idea, allowing Koga to keep coming around, allowing him to keep courting Kagome. Sooner or later, InuYasha knew, the wolf would run out of patience and show his true nature. Demons didn't keep asking long before they just took.

'Not that I couldn't kill that wimpy wolf before he got to Kagome,' InuYasha thought darkly. He would, too – he had thought about it enough over the past year, whenever the wolf demon had come by, declaring his intentions, and Kagome hadn't allowed him to just beat the wolf into a pulp and get it over with already. Now it was too late for that, if ever it had been a real possibility. Koga had chased Kagome for a year, had announced her as his mate to his pack, had courted her and protected her. He wouldn't give her up now.

InuYasha growled low in his throat. There was no way in hell he'd allow Koga to take Kagome away from him. He'd have to fight Koga for real one day and probably that day was coming soon. He just hoped Kagome would be able to forgive him for killing the wolf.


	7. Chapter 7

(A/N: I wrote Ch. 6 and 7 as one chapter but then decided to break them up since a third was InuYasha's perspective and the rest Kagome's. Thank you to all my Ch. 5 reviewers – NeonTalisman, YoruichiXSoiFon1, supermangageek23, kouga's older woman, bluedragongirlhv and the two "guest" reviewers! I really do appreciate the continued encouragement! Also - I'm really going to try to have more actual Koga/Kagome interaction soon, it just has taken awhile to set things up realistically. Have faith! )

**Chapter 7**

Kagome's lungs hurt. Running behind the hanyou, she tried to distract herself from the aches in her body. She bit her lip, wondering if it was possible InuYasha hadn't noticed that Koga had almost kissed her. Kagome couldn't imagine he wouldn't have some choice words to say about that, especially given the fact that she hadn't made any effort to stop Koga's advances. Yet the inu strangely hadn't confronted her. She could tell he was angry, though, by the fact that he hadn't offered to carry her and was pushing the entire group on at an even brisker pace than normal.

Kagome sighed, wondering how long InuYasha would continue to push the group on before allowing them to stop. Ordinarily she might ask for a break, or at least for him to slow down, but she didn't want to annoy the half demon when he was already on edge. She glanced behind her to where Miroku and Sango were jogging together. They were matching each other's pace and staying with the group without effort. Kirara had transformed and was also jogging alongside Sango easily.

'I guess I'm the only one this is difficult for,' Kagome thought sadly, embarrassed by her weakness. She wished for the thousandth time that she was as strong as the others. Even something as simple as making good time while traveling was difficult for her; she wasn't out of shape by modern-era standards, but she wasn't used to a life of physical exertion the way the others were.

Kagome scolded herself for wallowing in thoughts of her own inadequacies. 'Feeling sorry for myself isn't going to help anyone!' she reprimanded herself. 'I should think of something nice.' An image of a wolf demon with crystal eyes popped into her head. 'Koga never makes me feel inferior' Kagome thought, remembering the way it had felt having the demon's attention focused only on her, his hands capturing hers, his mouth leaning towards hers…

Kagome glanced up at the hanyou, feeling dueling emotions of guilt and defiance. Guilt because she had promised to stay with InuYasha, she loved InuYasha and InuYasha cared about her a great deal, she was sure. 'He might not quite love me yet,' she admitted, 'But he risks his life for me all the time, I am his closest friend. Aren't the best loves the ones that come from friendship?' That is what she had always told herself, anyway.

A small part of her, though, was telling her that she shouldn't have to feel guilty for these strange new thoughts she was having about Koga. She didn't love Koga – not the way she loved InuYasha – and there were probably a lot of good reasons not to be with the wolf demon – like the whole living in a cave thing, she thought amusedly. But it didn't change the fact that thinking about Koga – seeing him today – had made her feel good.

It was like a breath of fresh air, having a handsome man treating her like she was a prize and not a burden. She had never been really pursued by a man. Sure, there was Hojo, but his idea of romance was taking her to the movies and giving her remedies for her "ailments." He was the same age as her and yet to Kagome he was just a sweet kid. InuYasha of course had never bothered to pursue her. She loved him in spite of it, and she understood that it wasn't in his nature to be romantic, but sometimes part of her rebelled at the idea of always being the one doing the pursuing.

'Maybe even that wouldn't be so bad if I ever got very far,' she thought wryly. Not that she had exactly thrown herself at InuYasha – she knew him and the overall culture he was part of well enough to know that that would be counterproductive at best – but she had made it as clear as she could that she cared for him greatly, that she wasn't interested in anyone else. She had even tried to flirt with him a few times, although it generally didn't seem like he understood what she was doing. The few times she had managed to create a semi-romantic moment with the inu, he had just gotten flustered and ended up saying or doing something to completely destroy the mood.

Honestly, she was frustrated. She was 16 and had risked her life more times than she could count, had faced pure evil and yet she hadn't even had her first kiss. Now she was having all these thoughts about Koga and she wasn't sure if they were merely byproducts of this frustration or appreciation for the way he made her feel or what. The only thing she knew for sure was that she wanted to see Koga again and she wanted him to look at her again the way he had earlier that day.

'That's not so wrong, is it?' she asked herself. She didn't want to risk hurting the wolf demon by using him for an easy ego boost but then again it wasn't like she had to tell him she wanted to be his mate or sleep with him or anything. 'I wouldn't be doing anything dishonest,' she thought. 'Why shouldn't I be nicer to him? I do like him as a friend, after all, and he is handsome.' Kagome blushed, thinking that she wouldn't have to pretend at all to make Koga feel more welcome.

'I guess it wouldn't do any harm,' Kagome thought slowly, still wondering if she really could be so bold as to begin subtly encouraging the wolf demon's advances. She still felt a bit guilty, although she was surprised to notice that most of her guilt now was over the idea of possibly misleading Koga, and not the effects on InuYasha. InuYasha, she had decided, could just deal with it and if he got jealous he had only himself to blame. It wasn't like she was going to leave him and the rest of the group– she just wanted a bit of romance, damn it! And if InuYasha wasn't willing, she knew a handsome demon who was.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Koga sat leaned against the back wall of the main cavern, his posture relaxed but his eyes always intense, always moving over the wolves under his command, looking for possible trouble. It wasn't that he doubted his ability as leader – he had never met a wolf demon that was his equal in strength, which explained how he had become tribe leader at such a relatively young age. Demons were unpredictable though – and wolf demons in particular had reputations for being volatile. He would die to defend his tribe but he'd die defending them as their leader; anyone who had a problem with that would have to be dealt with.

For now though things were peaceful and his men seemed content. It had been a true test of his reign, announcing to the wolf demons that he would take a mortal for a mate. It was obvious that many did not understand his choice, but it was a proof of the respect they held for their leader that none had openly challenged him over his choice. A lesser alpha would have lost his position, or worse, by breaking the unwritten rules of the tribe.

He had also had to tell his men they could no longer eat humans and they had taken that bit of news worse. None had been so bold as to refuse or disobey his orders – yet – but he was aware of the dissatisfied grumbling of those used to always having easy, plentiful prey from human villages whenever wild game was scarce.

He frowned, thinking of what Kagome would say if one of his men broke orders and attacked humans. What would she say if she knew how many humans they had already killed? Could she understand how it was, having a whole clan depending on him for food and protection, having the only options of taking what prey they could or starving? Life was harsh on the mountains – in winter much of the wild game disappeared – and yet the villages stayed full year-round of prey that barely gave a struggle. Now, of course, things were different; even if he was sure Kagome would never find out, he couldn't turn a blind eye towards the fear on the faces of humans, couldn't tune out their screams. Always he would be afraid to see Kagome's eyes staring back at him from a lifeless face.

It didn't erase the problems that he knew were brewing, though. Winter would be arriving soon and with it the typical difficulties with mountain living, plus the added obstacle of convincing hungry wolves to ignore what had been a fail-safe food source. He couldn't allow his pack to starve over his concern with a mortal girl – they would rebel at that point, jewel shards or no. He had to find a compromise.

Meanwhile, it seemed his Kagome was finally warming to his advances. He allowed himself a small smile at the memory of the last time he'd seen her, when she had suddenly seemed interested in him and not merely trying to hide behind that mutt face. He had been tempted to visit her again the very next day but he had responsibilities here. Besides, he couldn't just show up without a plan like normal. Now that it seemed she was really considering him he had to be careful to not lose what ground he had somehow gained. He needed a strategy.

"Koga, sir?" Koga looked up into the face of a dark skinned, heavily-muscled, young wolf demon. The demon had stopped a few feet from where Koga sat and was waiting for his response, his eyes carefully not meeting his leader's; for wolves direct eye contact was usually a sign of aggression.

"Yes?" Koga drawled, not bothering with the underling's name, although of course he knew it. He knew all the names of his men and whether they were mated and how many whelps they had as well.

"The others returned from hunting, sir. There are two boars and a few rabbits." Koga glanced to the entrance, where he saw the kills piled carelessly in the middle of the floor, surrounded by salivating wolves. No one had eaten anything yet. As alpha, Koga was entitled to first choice.

"I'm not hungry. You all go ahead," Koga said in the same bored drawl. At his permission, the lesser wolves dived upon the kills, growling and snarling at each other. There was plenty to go around, and always enough was left to provide for the females and young whelps not present, but it didn't prevent the males from fighting for the choicest pieces.

Koga watched passively, smelling the blood and seeing the entrails spill onto the floor. For him it was a routine sight, almost pleasurable in its normalcy, but now he tried to view it through the eyes of a young, human female. He sighed. 'Kagome would take one look at this and run back to muttface and her ninja food.'

Koga paused, realizing then that he had no real idea what humans even ate. He had always thought of ninja food as beneath him, practically inedible, but the thought was based on prejudices and seeing humans as livestock themselves. He knew though that humans didn't actually eat grass like cattle or deer. What was that food Kagome had given him once? He couldn't remember the words printed on the strange bag, but the food inside had been surprisingly good. 'Humans must use food like that to get through the winters when they can't get fresh meat,' he mused thoughtfully. He hadn't ever considered before how humans made it through the winters, being far worse hunters than wolves and seeing all the greenery they may or may not eat wither away.

He grinned, an idea beginning to take shape in his mind. He would visit his Kagome soon, but this time he wouldn't be there just to say hello. This time he would tell her he wanted her help in coming up with food sources for his tribe for the upcoming winter. Kagome was always so sweet and so concerned with others, surely she would want to help him. Especially since she'd know that the reason the tribe was struggling was their new commitment to not hurting mortals.

Koga's dark eyes gleamed. It was the perfect plan – a way of showing Kagome how serious he was about creating a lifestyle for his tribe that she could share with them and using her giving nature to guarantee she'd comply with his requests. If it worked and she was actually able to help them, it might even solidify her standing in the tribe. Not that it would change anything if his pack mates never accepted her – he'd love her and protect her regardless – but things would be easier for them both if the tribe gave her their respect willingly.

'And,' thought Koga, 'It will give me time alone with Kagome.' He unconsciously licked his lips and grinned, exposing both fangs. 'I will find her tomorrow and by tomorrow night I will have her here, in my caverns, seeing me as alpha.' Koga's mind filled with visions of his Kagome, her eyes wide and impressed as she witnessed him in his element, controlling dozens of demons and defending his vast territories. Surely then she'd see that he had more potential as a mate than that stray dog. Koga chuckled darkly to himself and several wolves who had been standing close to him hurriedly moved away, unnerved by the predatory light shining in their leader's eyes.

(A/N: Ok, whole chapter about Koga and the stage is set! Next chapter we will have Koga meeting up with Kagome again and then – who knows? ;) Will she go with him as part of her brand new, flirtatious attitude? What will InuYasha do? Just what is Koga planning for his hoped-for "alone time" with Kagome? **droolsatideaofalonetimewithKoga** Thanks as always to my reviewers – kouga's older woman, Roseybee, NeonTalisman, YoruichiXSoiFon1. )


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